What are the implications of IPv6 on cloud computing?

O IPv6 é o sucessor do IPv4, expandindo os endereços de 32 bits para 128 bits, permitindo suportar um número incrivelmente maior de dispositivos. Enquanto o IPv4 enfrentou uma escassez de endereços devido à sua limitada capacidade, o IPv6 resolve esse problema, possibilitando um número praticamente ilimitado de dispositivos conectados. Além disso, o IPv6 traz melhorias em eficiência de roteamento, segurança e suporte para recursos como multicast e mobilidade.

I feel the pain of the cash-strapped telcos and CSPs and IT departments that still have a whole slew of IPv4, fully functional equipment, and every technology message they get is about migrating to IPv6. Cui prodest ? Who benefits from the transition - the first question to ask. Is there a way to do it gradually? E.g. Migrate the boundaries to IPv6 (which is a natural network growth anyway) but keep everything working as is? Is there a security risk staying at IPv4 ? All network elements have tiny ARM processors, and if they can be used on security rather than the IPv6 [exception] calculations, perhaps that's something the customers can force the vendors to optimize. IMHO, continuous growth at any cost is bad. Sustainable growth - good.

IMHO this is bullshit of the first degree. We invented MAC addresses which supposedly are unique identifiers of every networked device in the world + identifying the vendor, to keep them honest. Well, on one hand MAC addresses cannot be nicely summarized "per network" and because of some interesting actors, you may get multiple identical MAC addresses pointing to a certain vendor, who is not even at fault (that's a 30 year old story) How IPv6 simplifies the header format (over IPv4), which makes packet processing faster and more efficient - well that beats me. NAT brings extra electrical (not optical pumping) processing - and that can also be the firewalling point. UAZ & vacuum tube-based comms are old tech that works. So does IPv4.

An unexpected factor is that NAT often provides a default level of protection in IPv4 networks. Typically most IPv4 routers will not expose internal hosts unless you explicitly configure them to do so. The net result is that if you just switch on IPv6 without checking what firewalling is in place, there is a risk of exposing hosts to external connections. It’s not a reason not to deploy IPv6, just to make sure you understand the security options you have before doing so.